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Visualising Desire for Social and Political Change in the Philippines and Indonesia Through the Comics of Nonoy Marcelo and Sapto Raharjo (Athonk)

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Visualising Desire for Social and Political Change in the Philippines and Indonesia Through the Comics of Nonoy Marcelo and Sapto Raharjo (Athonk) Militarism and Authoritarian Rule: Visualising Desire for Social and Political Change in The Philippines and Indonesia through The Comics of Nonoy Marcelo and Sapto Raharjo (Athonk) Dakila A. Fernando College of Fine Arts, University of the Philippines, Diliman [email protected] ABSTRACT This article looks into the use of comics as a means to visualise desire for social and political change in societies under authoritarian rule and militarism. Specifically, this study will focus on Bad Times Stories 1 and 2, created by the artist Athonk during the New Order of Indonesian President Suharto, and Ikabod Bubwit, produced by Nonoy Marcelo in the New Society of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Let it be pointed out that the works chosen in this study are symbolic in nature and presuppose an indirect attack on the state. The comics here are witty, humorous, reflective of the pop culture of the time and set in a simulacra world of constant battle between good and evil. Keywords: semiotics, comics, militarism, authoritarian rule, social and political change, Indonesia, Philippines, Nonoy Marcelo, Athonk © Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2012 150 Wacana Seni Journal of Arts Discourse. Jil./Vol.11. 2012 INTRODUCTION The visual arts is an effective medium for social and political communication in societies under authoritarian rule. With the use of various modes of representation – from the academic easel-type of painting to popular forms such as comics and posters – the objective to communicate easily and freely is achieved because of the orientation of most societies towards a visual culture, and the fluidity of art to explore the symbolic language as an expression within an environment of strict social control. This medium cuts across all sectors of society – the rich and poor, educated and uneducated, urban and rural dwellers alike. The visual arts also has the capability to dramatise sentiments that may heighten the sensibilities of both the artist and the public, and to elude the authoritarian suppression of freedom of speech. Benedict Anderson, in his study of Indonesian cartoons, posits that comics represents a microcosm of a social order, with visual images and text reflective of the society in a specific period of time (Anderson 1990: 162). The medium is understood of its context both within the comics and the real world by way of the intertextuality of the images and text. The various forms of comics – whether editorial cartoons, comic strips, or comic books – open many possibilities of interpretation from the perspective of both the artist and the reader. Comics is also an alternative form of political communication reflective of the populist perspective, especially for people without the means to use other established venues of expression. As Anderson said – "cartoons were a way of creating a collective consciousness by people without access to bureaucratic or other institutionalised forms of political muscle" (Anderson 1990: 163). It is therefore the aim of this article to look into the use of comics as a means to visualise desire for social and political change in societies under authoritarian rule and militarism. Specifically, this study will focus on Bad Times Stories 1 and 2, created by the artist Athonk 151 Dakila A. Fernando during the New Order of Indonesian President Suharto, and Ikabod Bubwit, produced by Nonoy Marcelo in the New Society of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Let it be pointed out that the works chosen in this study are symbolic in nature and presuppose an indirect attack on the state. The comics here are witty, humorous, and reflective of the pop culture of the time and set in a simulacra world of constant battle between good and evil. This article excludes the activist comics produced by nationalist groups which are direct, very intense and used as collateral for information dissemination among the grassroots. The theory of semiotics shall be used in the reading and analysis of the comics. Since art is seen as signifying practice in this framework, the medium, its elements, and images will be viewed as signs. Hence, the art works will be read beyond the formalist mode and will focus on how objects are woven to the plurality of meanings and nuances within the political, cultural, economic and social spheres of a society. SUHARTO'S NEW ORDER: ANTHONK AND HIS BAD TIMES STORIES 1 AND 2 The ascendancy to power of Suharto and his New Order platform in 1966 marked another authoritarian rule for the people of Indonesia. Lasting 30 years, Suharto's administration was characterised by central control and long-term personal rule. Suharto used the military to pursue his agenda of a stronghold over Indonesia's social, political, economic and cultural affairs. The military played a vital role in running the government by limiting civilians from participating in the affairs of the state in the regional and local levels, by controlling the national economy through the management of enterprises, and by suppressing the rights of the common people. 152 Wacana Seni Journal of Arts Discourse. Jil./Vol.11. 2012 In the early years of his power, Suharto vowed to eliminate communism in the country to reduce the threat to his government. With the Communist Party of Indonesia as the focus of his attention, he ordered the detention, even the execution of people behind the party. Under his operating principle of alon alon asal kelakon (slow but sure), he eliminated all pro-Sukarno officials in the military and in the government and gained total control of the state. Suharto's regime was marked by economic development and relative peace from the communists and Islamic extremists but the process was not peaceful, since militarism was his key to effect such changes. He relinquished power in 1998 when Megawati Sukarnoputri, daughter of Sukarno and leader of the opposition group Indonesian Democratic Party, won the elections. The Indonesians were under strict social control during Suharto's entire rule. In the arts, works depicting protest were suppressed. Suharto allowed Western art to flourish by permitting the importation of materials such as Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Japanese comics which he considered politically sterile as compared to the emerging peoples' art that protested against his rule. Particularly, he denounced the local artists for using comics as a subversive material and ordered its confiscation in schools and comics stands (Berman 2001: 18). It is in this social, cultural and political turmoil that Sapto Raharjo or Athonk became the artist who worked on posters and comics to express his sentiments against the social ills and mismanagement of the state. Born in 1971 from an Adventist Christian family, his father was a military man who reared him and his siblings in a very strict manner. He grew up in Semarang, in the Kailiungu area and at an early age, was exposed to the Kokkang caricature artists' community (Komunitas Karikaturias Kaliungo). Athonk studied at the Institut Seni Indonesia (Indonesia Art Institute) in Yogyakarta in 1990 where, going against the norms of 153 Dakila A. Fernando society, he adopted the punk subculture. It is said that his alternative lifestyle was already a protest against the social and political situation in Indonesia (Imanda 2002: 74). It was also during this period in Yogyakarta that Athonk joined student activism against Suharto's New Order. He became active in demonstrations and advocacy work through his protest posters and comics, which eventually led to his detention by the military in Jakarta in 1996. This, however, became a turning point in Athonk's life as he continued his fight against the New Order through his politically-loaded works. Rejected by the mainstream art community for his strong convictions, he nonetheless pursued his art through various exhibitions, leading him to explore the public space as a venue to display his protest posters. He also continued to depart from the conventional mode1 of producing of his comics. Bad Times Stories 1 and 2 Athonk's comic book series entitled Bad Times Stories 1 and 2 was published independently in 1994. Considered as one of his significant works, the series expressed strong sentiments against Suharto's authoritarian rule. Athonk's choice of medium is symbolic of his protest art. His use of popular art forms such as posters and comics was in itself a protest against the canons of the art academy. He produced the book unconventionally, using only bond paper and ball pens, and photocopying 50 copies which were circulated through pass-on readership. He initially gave the copies free of charge but later sold them to collectors abroad. In terms of content, Athonk took a different path from the Indonesian artists. Then, comics were heavily influenced by the West and Japan. His work was therefore labelled as "underground comics" because of the alternative mode of production, distribution and thematic choice (Imanda 2002: 75). 154 Wacana Seni Journal of Arts Discourse. Jil./Vol.11. 2012 A reading of Athonk's work does not end in the literal meaning of the text and images but rather, encourages the audience to go beyond and explore the plurality of meanings that each frame, dialogue, quotation and expression may lead to in the context of Indonesian culture. Laine Berman, an American scholar on Indonesia culture, wrote in the introduction of the comics: Closer inspection however, reveals there is an awful lot more going on within these frames than viewers would initially recognise. Each contorted frame within the jumbled mass depicts actual and symbolic events in Indonesian history as well as the artist's own history as a citizen of Indonesia. The idealism of youth mixes right in with some rather biting social and political commentary (Athonk 1994: 1). The language of the comics should also be understood within the bounds of Indonesian culture since Athonk adopted the Sosro English used by the locals in the town of Jalan Sosrowijayan to communicate with tourists.
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